Samuel s



(No Model.)

S. S. PAGUE.

GUN RAGK FOR TENTS.

No. 493,645. Patented Mar. 21, 1893.

STATES ATENT FFICE.

SAMUEL S. PAGUE, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

GUN-RACK FOR TENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,645, dated March 21, 1893.

Application filed June 28, 1892.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. PAGUE, of the United States Army,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gun-Racks for Tents, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, as its name implies, to racks which are intended for supporting guns in tents, and is intended as an improvement upon the device for which United States Patent No. 377,114 was issued to me on the 3d day of January, 1888.

The parts of the gun rack shown in the application were made in two pieces adapted to be placed together around the pole of a tent, and fastened by a bolt passing through the pole. \Vhile this gun rack was serviceable, and capable of efficient use, it was objectionable, since it required for its attachment the formation of a hole through the tent pole, thereby weakening such pole.

It is the object, therefore, of the present invention to obviate the defects incident to the previous device, and to still further improve upon and simplify the same, and to this end my invention consists in the features, combinations and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l isa front elevation of a tent partiallyopemshowing my gun rack attached to the pole. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower part of the gun rack. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the upper part thereof; Fig. 4 an elevation of the attaching device; and Fig. 5 a section on line 5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrow.

The tent A and pole B are made in any of the ordinary ways, but, inasmuch as they form no part of the present invention, they require, and will receive no further description.

The bottom part of the gun rack O is preferably made in the form shown more particularly in Fig. 2, being provided with cleats or strips 0, extending across it and along each side, dividing it into spaces to receive the butts of the guns. The upper part of the rack D, shown more particularly in Fig. 3, is provided with openings 01, of suitable form and dimensions to receive the muzzles of the guns. A cleat 03, also preferably runs around this part of the rack, for the purpose of strengthening Serial No. 438,289. (No model.)

the same. These parts of the rack are made, as shown, in single pieces, instead of in separate pieces, as shown in my patent above referred to; and, in order to render them capable of ready and easy attachment to and removal from the pole, I provide the following devices. Attached to each of the parts of the gun rack, preferably set into the same so as to be flush with the surface thereof, is a socket plate E, of malleable iron or other suitable material, provided with a U shaped slot or socket e, preferably beveled and tapered on its inner sides, as shown. I next construct tongue plates F, substantially corresponding in form and dimensions to the sockets, and adapted to be secured to the tent pole B, by means of screws, or in any other suitable manner. These tongue plates are secured to the pole at suitable heights, and the parts of the rack attached thereto, by sliding the socket plates E over the tongue plates, as shown more particularlyin Fig. 5, thereby locking the tongue plates firmly in place and supporting the rack. When it is desired to remove the rack, the pieces 0 and D can be lifted up, disengaging the tongue and socket plates, being a reversal of the process already described when putting them into place.

The guns are inserted into the rack in the ordinary manner, the barrels being passed through the holes in the part of the rack D, and the butts inserted into the recesses or sockets in the parts C. By this means, I provide an exceedingly simple and efficient gun rack, which can be rapidly and readily put up and taken down when desired, and, the tongue plates being made with rounded edges, there is no liability of hurting the canvas while the tent is being rolled up; and. while I have described more or less precise forms, I do not intend to limit myself unduly thereto, but contemplate changes in form, proportion, and the substitution of equivalent members, as may be desirable or necessary.

I claim- 1. A gun rack consisting of astock and muzzle holding block, each block being provided with a socket plate having a beveled socket and adapted to engage with a tongue plate secured to the pole of the tent, substantially as described.

2. A gun rack consisting of a stock and muzzle block, each block provided With a socket plate set flush with the block and having an inwardly beveled tapering socket adapted to 5 engage with correspondingly tapered and bev eled tongue blocks secured to the tent pole, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a tent pole, beveled tongue blocks secured thereto at suitable :0 heights, a stock holding block and a muzzle holding block, each of such blocks being provided with a socket plate having asocket corresponding in shape to the tongue blocks, whereby such rack may be attached to the pole by bringing the socket plates into engagement with the tongue blocks, and removed from such poleby disengaging the plate and blocks, substantially as described.

SAMUEL S. PAGUE. Witnesses:

GEORGE S. PAYSON, SAMUEL E. I-IIBBEN. 

